Used Mercedes A Class 2005 – Buyer’s Guide

Why buy a Used Mercedes A Class?

The A-Class scores because it has a dash of the Smart car funky about it, but with more space and power. You do pay extra for both the Mercedes badge and its range of qualities, but it is probably worth it.

The A-Class's style and practicality gives it broad appeal. MPG is not impressive and insurance is not cheap (groups 6 & 7) but it doesn't struggle to cope with anything. Motorway journeys, passengers and their luggage, nothing is a major problem.

Which is the best used Mercedes A Class?

This is a premium German brand, so you need to think about trim levels or you can end up with a basic car that is harder to sell on. Elegance or Avantgarde rather than Classic are our recommendations. 3 door cars can be cheaper than 5 door cars.

If buying nearly new there is little in it between the sensible petrols or diesels (A170 P, A160 D, A180 P). The A170 petrols are worth a look; they drop below £8,000 quickly as they reach 5 years old. But it's 2.0Ds that are stand out used bargains.

What should I aim to pay for an Mercedes A Class?

No matter which engine or spec, prices on three year old cars are around £10,000 - £11,500. Which includes the top of the range 2.0D. Trim levels make just a few hundred pounds price difference but make it easier to sell.

At 5 years old these cars have seen off the worst of their depreciation and drop below £10,000, and even as low as £7,000. But mileages are not more than 40,000 so these cars have a huge amount of reliable life and shouldn't cost a fortune to run.

Mercedes A Class For Sale Prices & Depreciation Trend

Used Car Expert recommends that you try to buy after a big drop in depreciation and before the next one, so with the current Mercedes A Class you would aim to buy a 6 year old and you can keep it for some time before needing to worry about a big drop in value.

Diesel Mercedes A Class cars lose most over the first year (from new to 1 year old), so that is the best ‘nearly new’ buy in terms of car for money.

Diesel Mercedes A Class cars lose least between years 1 and 3, so this is the best buy if you want to keep the car for a while.

Diesel Mercedes A Class cars lose least between years 2 and 4, so that is the best buy on older cars.

For advice on what to pay, see below and for more detailed depreciation and mileage & spec adjusted prices & graphs visit our price guide.